Working and Playing

October 15th, 2017

It's Sunday again! Not only that, but everybody is getting back to town, and school starts back up tomorrow. I'm super excited about this because I'm ready to get back to work and be busy again. This term I'm doing five classes instead of the standard four, so I'll be extra bust too! For some reason I often work better when there's more stuff to do, and I think more work will do me good and, surprisingly, give me more free time. "Why is that?" you ask. Because it'll force me to be more dedicated. With extra deadlines to meet and three papers to write this term, I'm going to have a lot on my plate. This will force me to use my time better, and consequently I won't waste so much of it scrolling through facebook or watching thought provoking videos on youtube. Although I do enjoy those things I always come away feeling empty: I've neither gotten any work done or any play done. Both are in important, and generally it's best to be doing one or the other at any given time, not sitting around doing neither.

To work properly you need to be accomplishing goals you've set out for yourself, whether that be running three miles, working another eight hours at your job, writing a blogpost, doing school assignments, or whatever it may be. To play properly you need to be around people. Real people. Connecting over the internet is great, but it doesn't afford the same goodness that comes with a real live friendship. Just move to a new town and all your friends are in a different state or country? By all means keep those friendships alive, but don't neglect those around you. Reach out, make new friends, spend time with them. Go do something, anything, with friends or other people you want to befriend, and have fun while doing it. That's how you play.

Solid playfulness produces the best kinds of relationships, something online interaction can never hope to achieve. The way I see it, the internet is a fantastic way to keep in touch with those you love back home and around the globe. But that's it. It can't provide much more than that except with the utmost of determinance. By spending too much time on your phone or the computer you're neglecting those God has put into your everyday life. You have a duty to love them. That's 'love' the action. It's work, and it may be difficult if you just came to a new town and you don't know anybody. But you'll come to enjoy it. Accept as many invitations to go do stuff as you can, whether it's helping move a piano across town, watching some rowdy kids for an evening, or going out to watch a movie. Get involved with the people you live around. Be there for them. That's a two-way street. They're going to be the ones there for you when life gets rough. I mean, let's be realistic. No matter how much my mom, my dad, or my best friend love me, that's not going to do me a lick of good when they're halfway cross the country and I have an urgent, real problem that I need help with NOW. If I'm ever in a situation like that, I'm not going to call them. I'm going to call the friends I have who live a couple minutes away. That's how it works, and that's how it should be. You need those around you, and they need you.

Also, I think there is a place for 'official' evangelism, you know, going door to door, or speaking out in public places proclaiming the gospel and the good news, but in my experience, I've found that actions speak louder than words. Sure, words are great, but what the world really wants to see is how you live it out. Most people I've met who have doubts about Christianity have them because they see the blatant hypocrisy of many 'Christians', and can't imagine there's any good reason they'd want to be a part of 'that'. So show them true Christianity. Show them how you live. Work hard, play hard, do it all to the glory of God, and don't compromise when evil comes knocking. Stay true to the Word, but don't whack them upside the head with your leather-bound, four-inch-thick, red-lettered KJV. What did Daniel do when commanded to not do what was right? He quietly did it anyway, despite what others might do. Following that example, we should do what's right but not make a big deal about it. I've worked lots of places where people cuss like sailors and have conversations that probably shouldn't be repeated. In places like those, hold your peace and don't capitulate and start using curse language too to 'fit in'. Your silence is deafening. They notice your lack of curse words, believe me. And when they ask for your opinion on whatever they're talking about, straight up tell them what you think without, pardon the expression, damning them to hell. And you know what? For the most part, they reject it, but they respect it. People appreciate honesty and straight-shooters, who live what they say they believe. And at the end of the day, isn't how you live the ultimate teller of what you really do believe? And whatever corner of the world you find yourself in, live the gospel, don't just speak it. Interact with those around you. Work hard. Play hard. Be the light of Christ to all you meet.